Venus in the Evening Sky 2019 to 2020…animated

Venus will stay with us after sunset from October 2019, through May 2020.

Venus will reach inferior conjunction on June 3rd of next year, and thus, return to the morning sky in June.

Mercury will appear three times above the horizon during this time period with the first appearance occurring this October.

Jupiter and Saturn can be seen approaching the southwestern horizon from October through January.

You will note that Jupiter and Saturn will both travel in a straight line. Mercury and Venus will not!

Venus will exhibit various phases of illumination, as the months progress, much like the Moon, with Venus reaching less than 10 percent illumination (crescent phase) in May 2020.

All animations are set for exactly 30 minutes after sunset.

This 3-minute video goes into more detail into why Venus moves the way it does in the evening sky. It will show the orbits of Venus and Mercury, and show the stars in the evening twilight over the course of 335 days. The first frame of animation begins on August 1st 2019. The last frame is on June 30th, 2020.

Venus reached superior conjunction on August 13, 2019, or in other words, it reached the farside or the opposite side of the Sun from us. As the weeks and months progress from that date, Venus will slowly come closer to Earth.

As it does, Venus will become larger and exhibit phases much like the Moon. But to see the phases, unlike the Moon, you need a telescope. Take another look at the graphic above.

Venus will be closest to us on June 3rd, 2020 which is also known as inferior conjunction.